New report: Partners tripled kindergarten readiness scores in Battle Creek

W.K. Kellogg Foundation findings offer a blueprint for transforming early care and education outcomes for children        

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Kindergarten readiness among children entering Battle Creek Public Schools more than tripled over a decade, rising from 15% in 2013-2014 to nearly 55% in 2023-2024.

A new report from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) examines what drove that progress: a decade-long, community-led effort that brought together families, early childhood providers, schools, nonprofits, government agencies and other partners to strengthen Battle Creek’s early care and education system.

The report, “Tripling Kindergarten Readiness and Transforming the Early Care and Education System in Battle Creek,” identifies five approaches that helped drive change: building strong partnerships, practicing patience, using data to guide the way, meeting families where they live and work, and developing the workforce.

Kindergarten readiness measures children’s physical, academic and social-emotional readiness to start school. Rates in reading and math in Battle Creek climbed from 15% in 2013-2014 to nearly 55% in 2023-2024, surpassing the national kindergarten readiness rate of 50%. This progress is particularly notable given the economic challenges facing many Battle Creek families, including the pandemic and a poverty rate that was nearly double the national average.

“Quality early care and education doesn’t just prepare children for the classroom — it shapes their health, relationships and ability to thrive, well into adulthood,” said Megan Russell Johnson, the WKKF program officer who leads the foundation’s investments in early care and education in Battle Creek. “But creating a system that works for children and families requires understanding what they need and what the possibilities are. That means listening to communities and supporting community-led solutions. Our partners in Battle Creek knew what the needs were, and they understood that transforming a system doesn’t happen overnight. The change we’ve seen in Battle Creek, and the impact it will have on our city’s children and families for years to come, is a tribute to our partners and their dedication to doing what’s best for children.”

The report comes as national data shows middle schoolers’ reading scores remain stalled at post-pandemic lows, with Michigan ranking 44th among U.S. states in student reading performance. With long-range studies like the landmark Perry Preschool Project consistently demonstrating the lifelong impact of quality early care and education, this report offers a roadmap of how communities nationwide can achieve stronger outcomes for children and families.

The success in Battle Creek represents a replicable, scalable approach to reinvent and reimagine early care and education systems. Its success and the lessons it produced can help guide any community in transforming its own early care and education system.

The Battle Creek collaboration’s success shows the power of partnerships that build trust and alignment between funders, early education providers, local nonprofits, government agencies, community leaders and families.

“This change isn’t the result of one person or organization. It’s the product of a whole community setting their sights on the same goal — getting kids into kindergarten ready to learn — and working together to achieve it,” said Kathy Szenda Wilson, founder and co-director of Pulse, a nonprofit organization that played a key role in building relationships and setting shared strategies among the coalition. 

The coalition’s long-term, data-driven approach — centered on common measures of progress and shared data — made it possible to identify emerging needs, adapt and double down on successful strategies.  

“Rallying around kindergarten readiness as the core indicator of improvements in the system made it so we could actually tell what was working and adjust course when it wasn’t,” said Alton Leon Alford, who partnered with Jianping Shen as independent researchers to evaluate Battle Creek’s early care and education system. “And by sharing their data, we could see progress and quickly identify gaps, neighborhood by neighborhood.”

These insights played a key role in the coalition’s ability to meet families with services and support where they live and work. 

“We have to work with families before they ever set foot in our schools,” said Kimberly Carter, superintendent of Battle Creek Public Schools. “Reaching out to them in their neighborhoods and on their timelines makes a huge difference in our ability to help children start school ready.”

The coalition also focused on building connections between the two major segments of the early care and education system: formal — curriculum-based education typically taking place in school settings — and informal — care and education provided by family, friends, neighbors or other trusted adults. 

“True progress comes from aligning everything from coaching and supporting our teachers to coordinating systems across organizations,” said Erika Burkhardt, assistant superintendent for early childhood at Calhoun Intermediate School District. “It’s a deeply connected, shared effort focused on healthy growth and lasting impact.”

None of this impact would have been possible without investing in programs to help early childhood educators receive support to further their education, earn credentials and receive financial support to remain and grow a low-paying field. 

“You can’t have a strong system if you don’t invest in the people who power it,” said Lisa Farrell, early childhood career pathway manager at Community Action Agency of South Central Michigan. “We realized early on how important professional development was for both current and future providers — helping them to enter the field, expand their skills and embrace early care and education as a long-term career.”

To learn how communities can model their work on the success in Battle Creek, visit wkkf.co/battle-creek-kindergarten-readiness. 

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About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur W.K. Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life. 

Based in Battle Creek, Mich., WKKF works throughout the United States and internationally. Special attention is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success, including: Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New Orleans, Mexico and Haiti.